Some Info On Lander/Riverton Please! (Casper, Rock Springs: for sale, house, high school)

[Sapphyre_83]

I am looking to move to Lander from California, and was wondering... what do Lander residents do for shopping?? I've noticed the closest Walmart and Kmart is 28 minutes away from Lander in Riverton. Where are the malls and shopping plazas? Is there a Target anywhere? I've heard also that there is not much housing, but I will be building my own, so is there plenty of land available to purchase? Also, is there a library? I want to move to Lander because I've noticed that Lander Valley High School is a very good school for the kids, and the weather isn't that bad and they seem to have a lot of activities going on in the area. However, is Riverton the better deal because of necessity acessability?

[Earniefan]

You'll be about 2 hours from Rock Springs if you move to Lander. We go to Park City or SLC for "real" shopping. There is a mall here in RS but there's not a whole lot there - JC Penney's, Herberger's(one of the better choices), Maurices, Famous Footwear to name a few. I think it's closer to go up to Montana though. Anyway, while Lander looks to be a wonderful little community you're going to learn to take weekend trips to the city and make the most of your time as far as shopping and restaurants. I've been in RS for three years now and am a pro at online shopping, lol.

[logicskier]

I agree with the last post. You are also about 2 hours from Casper which has a Target, mall, etc...

Otherwise it is SLC or Denver.

As to Lander vs. Riverton. Lander will always win that one in mind. It is hard to explain, but I would encourage you to visit both to see the difference even though they are close to each other there is a dramatic difference.

[rya700]

Where did you get your info on the Lander H.S.? I graduated from there in 1996 - at the time the drop out rate was quite high and can't say there was much to brag about, but maybe things have changed. It was also very cliquish (as is Lander in general), and I doubt that has changed much.

As for land to build on, there isn't a big selection, Part of the problem is Lander is surrounded by mountains and gov't land - not for sale. I'm not sure about Riverton, although I don't recall there was any major building or new housing developments going up and I was there last month.

As for shopping, there are two grocery stores, two discount retailers that combined would equal the size of a walmart, a 'dollar store' and a couple of small clothing stores. Riverton has a walmart and kmart, and a few more clothing stores, but that is about it. Definately not a place for people who like to shop!

My parents still live there and I go back there frequently, but i wouldnt live there again. It is too isolated from larger communities and like I said before, cliquish.

[casest]

Lander doesn't have any large shopping centers, so being from California I can imagine that you may feel a little out of your element. Other than the few larger (target like) stores located on the outskirts of town, a lot of Landers charm comes from the fact that they try and maintain a boardwalk style town, or in short “main street” is the mall and you will find almost everything you will need there. Unlike California, the people in Lander generally consider a trip to an actual mall like the ones located in Casper or Denver to be a family weekend outing, and they love to talk about the trip just as if they had gone to Hawaii or Mexico for the weekend.

As far as the kids go I can’t think of to may better places to be from. It’s one of those towns where people don’t really lock their doors unless they plan on being away from the house for a while. One of those smaller, rather tight knit communities where a child can truly get out and explore almost anywhere in relative safety, and there is a lot to explore. And if they do end up some place were they shouldn’t be the police will usually just take the kids’ home to their parents and let them deal with the punishment as long as nobody is pressing charges. The peer pressures of being a child in Lander are still there; however, you will find the topics to be a bit more innocent than those you would find back home, until they get into their teen years where drinking and driving can be a problem, this is mainly because if the town has one flaw its that there isn’t much for board teens to do when they are not in school. I was lucky, I liked old cars and hicking and those kept be busy over the evenings and weekends.

[imbobbbb]

based on your previous post in the nevada forums regarding your somewhat silly 'fear of mormans'you should be advised there are a fair number of them throughout central and western wyoming.i also doubt there is anywhere in wyoming where the true american shopaholic would be happy,though lander would have enough to keep my simple needs happy.riverton has more shopping and is only a short drive away,but lander is much more scenic.there is more land available around riverton and it is generally cheaper then around lander,again you are paying for the view as lander is greener and right at the base of the mountains

[JustMovedHere]

Hi my husband and I are looking to relocate from South Dakota, love fishing, hiking, and wildlife...however, hubby is self employed (home improvement/handyman type work)...do you think he'd be able to keep busy in this area...or any suggestions on locations? THANKS MUCH!

[snafflebit]

Lander for sure! Unless you love the smell of sulfur, then you may want to look at Thermopolis.